‘Insecurity’ forces Standard Bank Cup final move to Lilongwe

The final of Standard Bank Cup final game between Mighty Be Forward and Civo United has moved to Lilongwe at Civo Stadium after in fear of mayhem and breakout if it was staged at Kamuzu Stadium as initially planned.

Standard Bank Cup organising committee disclosed that the sponsors had wanted to have the game played in Blantyre but they recommended that it should be shifted in the interest of security.

The loss of Bullets in the semifinals to Civo United and the victory of their archrivals Mighty Be Forward Wanderers over Blue Eagles made the organisers to think twice following some supporters who displayed a banner against the incumbent Football Association of Malawi (FAM) president Walter Nyamilandu running for the fourth term.

He said following the displaying of the banner during the game between Malawi and Tanzania the possibility of a breakout of violence was high.

“The sponsors Standard Bank had really wanted to have the final game played in Blantyre but the organising committee recommended during a meeting to change to avoid fracas,” said one of the organisers.

“I was in that meeting that made the recommendation to have the game shifted,” said the source.

But FAM Competitions Officer Gomegzani Zakazaka was coy on the issue when he was contacted to comment on the change.

“FAM has the final say regarding the venue of cup games. The teams are aware of that and I can’t say much about this,” Zakazaka said.

“We have always done that in the Carlsberg Cup and now in the Standard Bank Cup. In fact the game between Bullets and Civo at Kamuzu Stadium was home game to Civo of Lilongwe while the game between Mighty Wanderers and Blue Eagles was a home game to Wanderers.”

I for one knew if Wanderers were to reach the final the venue would certainly be CIVO. FAM is full of Wanderers supporters and since Nyerere shy away from Kamuzu Stadium they would help their course. Shifting a big game from Blantyre, Malawi’s soccer city, just bcoz of anti-Nyamilandu “..for FAM presidency..” banners is unfair to a lot of loyal soccer fanatics. To all Blantyre soccer fans let us put it in black and white to all 2019 presidential hopefuls and ruling parties that who ever doesn’t promise us a new Kamuzu Stadium by 2024 should forget our votes.